Our community is made up of people with deeply personal, often complicated lived experiences with obesity. In this Community Perspective, Terri shares her story in her own words—reflecting on decades of weight struggle, food as comfort, discrimination in health care, barriers to eating disorder treatment and the hope she continues to hold as she looks ahead.

I started gaining weight after I got married at 27 and over 30 years later it’s still an uphill battle, one that I never thought I would be facing.

Last year I did a food history going back to my childhood to currently and found an extensive pattern of relying on food to comfort me, something that was done by my parents and carried over into my adulthood by me. Food was always a great escape and a reason to keep going a lot of the times.

I have faced discrimination from health care workers as well as doctors and even nutritionists as well as verbal abuse by some friends. Before I developed a weight problem I never knew what people of size go through and now I have such empathy for them. I have tried numerous programs to lose weight but though I’ve lost 40 pounds on two different occasions, I’ve never been able to keep the weight off.

Last year I was in a certain weight loss recovery program, and my mentor fired me after just a month because I couldn’t do things perfectly. I haven’t gotten back into that program since because I’m not able to adhere to what I feel is a strict adherence to eating since I’m diabetic. Their plan is just not practical for me.

I have tried numerous methods to lose weight, but I’ve found that diet and exercise as well as support make the difference for me. I feel better emotionally when I exercise as well as mentally and though physically it wipes me out I know one day that won’t be the case.

I’ve tried to see about admitting myself into treatment for my eating disorder which is binge eating but I haven’t been able to find any treatment center that will take Medicare which is very frustrating for me. I really feel that that is my only hope at this point in my life.

I’m going to be 60 at the end of March and don’t want to go for the rest of my life like this with these numerous health problems and having to be on so many medications that stem from my obesity mostly.

I know Ozempic is quite the rage right now, but I can’t deal with those side effects though I did cave last month and asked my doctor about prescribing it to me. He did so but though I picked up the prescription I just can’t bring myself to use it due to fear of the well documented side effects. Plus I read that when people try to get off of it the hunger comes back with a vengeance.

So for now I am trying to get back into my exercise routine and hope that one day I can find an eating disorder treatment center that will accept my government insurance.

Terri R.
Fort Worth, TX


Editor’s Note
This story reflects one community member’s lived experience and personal perspective. Experiences with obesity, treatment options and outcomes vary from person to person. The Obesity Action Coalition does not endorse or recommend specific treatments. Decisions about care should always be made between individuals and their health care professional, using evidence-based information and personal circumstances.